Harrison, Sean A., ed.

NLT Study Bible

Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2008. p. xl + 2486.

Hardcover. $39.99. ISBN 9780842355704.

Nick Norelli
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
New Jersey.

Initial Reaction

My initial reaction is that it is both heavy and beautiful. I don't know the exact weight of this
Bible but it's quite thick at 2486 pages. I haven't gotten into the text yet, but from a cursory
glance here's what I've seen so far:

Beautiful thick glossy dust jacket, with a matching hardcover underneath.

Parallel texts are noted at the beginning of sections (e.g., the parallel pericopae between
Kings and Chronicles or Matthew, Mark, and Luke).
The study notes are in a triple column format so as not to blend in with the main text
which is in a two column format.
There are "Person Profiles" interspersed throughout the text, e.g., Balaam (288); Ezra the
Scribe (800).
The words of Jesus are in red lettering. I know this bothers some people but I don't know
why.
There are color maps in the back and black and white maps scattered throughout.
A Bible reading plan (although I'm not sure if this is meant to be a plan to read through
the Bible in a year). (2209-13)
A nice dictionary and index for Hebrew and Greek word studies. (2215-26)
A delightfully long and detailed subject index. (2227-68)
 Another delightfully long dictionary/concordance. (2369-86)
Extremely thin paper which allows for some bleed-through.
And the most amusing feature, a single page (front and back) for taking notes at the back
of the Bible.

Introduction Features (1-6)

The NLTSB has many features that make it worthy to be used as a main study Bible. In this
section I want to give the NLTSB descriptions of some of the features that figure into the Book
Introductions and then my assessment of these features.

The NLTSB describes the Book Introductions saying:

BOOK INTRODUCTIONS
Each book introduction helps readers understand that book as its original readers
first understood it in their world. The book introduction discusses the books
setting, gives a summary of its literary structure, discusses historical issues such as
authorship and date of writing, and explains the meaning and message of the book
for its readers.

We now turn our attention to each feature.

 OVERVIEW
The overview helps readers to find out quickly what this book of the Bible is about
and why it is important. It gives a thumbnail sketch of the book and its contents
and purpose.

Assessment: Of the 20 random overviews I surveyed I have to say that they are accurately
described in the NLTSB summary. Theyre short paragraphs that give a succinct statement of
what youre about to get into. Id compare them to the book overviews that appear in many
editions of the KJV, but theyre unlike what the NIV Archeological Study Bible and the HCSB
Apologetics Study Bible provide in their chapter introductions. These study bibles dont have the
terse descriptions of books that the NLTSB does, although they are comparable with some other
features.

SETTING
What is the story behind each book of the Bible? What was the need for each book in
its setting? Every book of the Bible was written by flesh-and-blood people living in
a particular time and place in history. They faced real challenges and difficulties.
They wrote to other real flesh-and-blood people living at their own time in
history. They wrote to address specific problems in their world, to help their
readers understand Gods mind regarding the issues and problems that they faced.
The world of the Bible is very different from our world today, but people are the
same everywhere. If we understand the setting in which each book of the Bible
was written, we will be in a much better position to understand what problems it
addressed, what actions it was prompting, and what message it communicates.

Assessment: The information given under the setting headings is great. This is exactly the type
of background information that the reader should come to the text knowing. For example, the
NLTSB prepares the reader to study the book of Ezra by supplying them with a short summary of
the Babylonian destruction of the temple, their captivity of the Jews, the Persian takeover of
Babylon, Gods promises of restoration, Israels disobedience in intermarriage with foreigners,
etc. This is all extremely helpful in understanding what is going on in Ezra and why its going on.

MAP
The book introductions include maps of the setting to show where the events in
each book of the Bible took place and how the places mentioned in that book fit
into the world. Each map includes a caption that describes the map and how it
relates to the books setting. Along with a caption, most of these maps include a
short index of places mentioned in the book.
Assessment: The maps are nice although not my favorite feature. They vary in size depending
on the geographical locale that is most prominent in the book in question. They all contain
legends and scales, and are somewhat detailed. All of the maps in the chapter introductions are
black and white which I dont really mind since it fits the overall look of the Bible. There are
however some full color maps in the back of the Bible.

SUMMARY
What is the structure and flow of ideas in each book of the Bible? The summary
provides just thata brief summary of the contents of the book. If the book is
narrative, the summary tells its story. If the book is a letter, the summary explains
its contents and the flow of its reasoning. If the book is an anthology, the
summary describes the structure and contents of the collection. If we have in
mind the flow of the book, we can better understand each individual passage.

Assessment: The above description is on point. Thats exactly what the summaries do. Think of
a more detailed version of the overview that includes scripture references and dates. If geography
features big in a certain book (e.g., Mark or Acts) then the summary takes note of it and offers an
outline of the places along with the important events that took place there. The summary in the
book of Acts is extremely short because its theme is extremely simple. They say: The apostles
and other people of God were filled with the Spirit and empowered to carry out the Great
Commission to all people. Acts highlights the ministries of Peter (chs 1-12) and Paul (chs 13-28).
(1821).

TIMELINE
A timeline can be found in the margin of nearly all book introductions. The
timelines show when the events in each book of the Bible took place and what was
going on at the time. We can refer to the timeline while reading the setting and
summary for the book, and again while reading the book, to help clarify and
reinforce how the events fit into the flow of history.

Assessment: One of my favorite features, hands down! This was something that I really
appreciated about the NIVASB and Im glad to see it in the NLTSB. Because the canonical order
of the books is not the chronological order of the books, its easy at times to get mixed up with
times and dates. These timelines take care of that. Thank God for timelines!

OUTLINE
Each book includes an outline with up to three levels of headings. In the
introduction, we provide the first level of the outline to give the reader an
 overview. The full outline is embedded in the NLT text as running headings.
These book outlines follow the literary structure of the bookhow the authors
themselves thought about the organization and flow of ideas.

Assessment: This is one of the most practical features of the NLTSB. The outlines in the
introduction are little more than section reference (e.g., [Jeremiah] 1:4-19) and a section title
(e.g., Jeremiahs Call and First Visions). As they said in their description, the full outline
appears in the body of the text in the form of running headings, and this is a feature that I
appreciate very much, but just from the introductory outline we can see the immediate benefits.
It allows the reader to break their study into small sections. It also enables them to set up lesson
plans for Bible study classes (even if they arent teaching from the NLTSB).

Other than the maps I have been very impressed with these first six features.

Introduction Features (7-12)

In this section I will give the NLTSBs description of the remaining six features of the book
introductions and offer my opinion on their quality/usefulness.
 AUTHOR, DATE, AND OTHER HISTORICAL ISSUES
What do we know about who wrote this book and when it was written? What are
the difficulties in determining the historical facts? Even though these issues might
not be familiar ground, they are important. Understanding these things can help
us appreciate the complexity of the Bible. Far from undermining confidence in
Scripture, however, the issues discussed here give us a greater appreciation of how
magnificent Scripture truly is. At the same time, we learn to be humble in how we
interpret Gods word.
.
Assessment: I like this feature because it seems pretty even-handed. For example, in the
introduction to Genesis they note that both tradition and Scripture attribute authorship to
Moses, while the prevailing critical view is that of the Documentary Hypothesis. For Job they
acknowledge that we simply dont know who wrote it and while the setting is patriarchal it
appears to have been written later. I was hoping to open up to Hebrews and see irrefutable proof
that Paul really did write it, but alas, I was disappointed. They acknowledge that we dont know
the author, but give brief mention to the reception history of Hebrews authorship, saying that
certain Church Fathers in the East such as Origen and Clement of Alexandria believed Paul to
have been the author, while others in the West didnt, noting that the majority of scholars today
agree that Paul was not the author..

MEANING AND MESSAGE

What is the message of each book of the Bible? What is its significance now? Heres
where the rubber meets the road. Everything in a books introductionsetting,
summary, author, date, genreis intended to prepare us to understand what that
book of the Bible has to say, its message and significance. Reading these
paragraphs carefully and reflectively will give us the keys to understanding that
book of the Bible.

Assessment: Its not that I dont like this feature, but I wish it were placed at the end of the books
in an outro. My problem is that when reading the commentators opinion on the meaning and
message of the book before actually reading through the book, it tends to color your reading.
Had this feature been included at the end of each book then the reader could see how much they
agreed or disagreed with what the commentator had to say.

SECTION INTRODUCTIONS
For each major section of the Bible, the section introduction gives an overview of
the books in that section and discusses issues that affect the interpretation of those
books.
Assessment: This feature doesnt actually fall into the book introductions but rather comes
before the major sections of the Bible (i.e., Pentateuch, Historical Books, Prophets, Gospels,
Pauline Epistles, etc.) These introductions are good and pithy. For example, in the introduction
to the Prophets they give a little information on the setting of the prophetic books, as well as
describing the task and message of the prophets. They stress that: The messages of the prophets
must be understood first of all on their own terms. (1102) But they dont leave it there; to that
they add: It is also important to remember that the books of prophecy, like the rest of Scripture,
have Christ as their central focus and theme (Luke 22:44-49).We must read the prophets and
hear their messages in light of all that God has done in Christ. (1102)

CHRONOLOGY ARTICLES
For each major period of biblical history, the chronology article provides a
historical overview and discusses key issues regarding historical context. Each
article includes a timeline of events during that period of history.

Assessment: This is another welcome feature. As I said in the last review, its easy to get mixed
up with the dates, and information like this makes it so much easier to keep things in
perspective. But much like the section introductions, these articles dont technically fall within
the book introductions. In fact, Ive counted only five such articles: 1) Abraham to Joshua
(118-21), 2) Time of the Judges (414-5), 3) Israels Monarchy (562-5), 4) Life of Jesus (1564-6), 5)
Apostolic Age (1818-9).

EPIGRAPHS
Sometimes other authors say insightful things about a book of the Bible, or they
make a poignant observation about something that a given book discusses. The
editors have gathered some of the best quotations that they could find about each
book and put them in the margins of the book introductions, to stimulate
thinking and to stimulate meaningful interaction with each book of the Bible.

Assessment: I could have done without this feature. Its a nice thought, but theres nothing really
detailed enough about these little statements in my mind to justify their inclusion.

FURTHER READING
Where can we learn more about each book of the Bible? The NLT Study Bible has
plenty of resources for a lifetime journey of reading, studying, and discovering the
riches of Scripture. Some readers, however, will want to go even further. At the
end of each book introduction, the editors have recommended some of the
resources that have helped them the most in studying and understanding that
particular book of the Bible. Theyve chosen materials that are available in the
 general marketno seminary required! Nearly all of these books are as close as a
visit to a local or online Christian retailer.

Assessment: Without a doubt my favorite feature of the introductions. Im a

bibliography junky, so any recommended reading for further study is much appreciated.
Theres between four to six works recommended for each book and obviously theyre
mostly commentaries on the book in question, which is understandable, although I think
that in subsequent editions they might like to consider including monographs on
dominant themes of the books. From the lists I surveyed the authors and works
recommended tend toward conservative scholarship (e.g., in the Gospels we see
Blomberg, Carson, Keener, Evans, Bock, Marshall, Bruce, etc.), which isnt necessarily a
bad thing.

Again, for the most part I have found the introductory features to be useful aids to study. I dont
know if my suggestion to move the meaning and message feature to the end of each book in
subsequent editions would be something that Tyndale House might consider, but I hope they
would.

General Layout

In this section Im going to offer a couple of comments on the general layout of the NLSTB. As
Ive been using the NLTSB over the last few days Ive really come to appreciate the layout. If I
had to choose a word or two to describe it then Id say its simple and straightforward. Its not
flashy like the NIV Archeological Study Bible, which I love, but can sometimes get lost in all the
colorful illustrations and charts. In my mind, the simple layout of the NLTSB is more conducive
to actually working through the text.

Main Text Format

I know that many bloggers prefer a single column format for the main text, and I wont lie, those
are nice (in fact the only Bible I ever read from cover to cover was a single column), but Im so
used to reading Bibles with double columns that Im not bothered by it. I dont find it any harder
to read than I would a single column. Im not sure of the point size of the main text, Id like to
say its about a 10, but I have no idea.

Cross-Reference Format

While I very much like the cross-reference system, which the introduction describes as relat(ing)
the meaning of a whole verse or passage, so the cross-references are always applicable (A13) I
would prefer a center-column reference to inner-margin references, but thats a minor
complaint.

Notes Format

The notes are in a three column format and look to be a point or two smaller than the main text
(like I said, I dont know anything about point size). My eyesight has been fading over the years
but the notes are still readable if I place the Bible on my lap and read while Im sitting upright.
Another benefit of the three-column notes with the two-column main text is that theres no
worry of the text all blending together, as opposed to the HCSB Apologetics Study Bible which has
two column for both the main text and notes (although on most pages there is another set of
lettered notes in a single column). And the two are separated by a simple dotted line which keeps
the look clean.

Person Profiles, Theme Notes, Illustrations, & Timelines

Wherever theres a person profile, theme note, illustration, or timeline, it is separated from the
main text and study notes by dotted lines, and appears in a single-column format. Youd think
that this might be obtrusive, but its not, it actually works very well.

Words of Christ in Red

As I said, I have fairly poor eyesight but I havent had a problem with the words of Christ being
in red. I can understand though how people who are color blind or have worse eyesight than I do
wouldnt appreciate this feature too much. Ive also heard someone take issue with this feature
recently calling it a serious theological error, but I think they do protest too much. Tyndale
House might want to consider going all black lettering in subsequent editions of the NLTSB.

Hebrew & Greek Word Studies, Subject Index, Dictionary/Concordance

All of these features in the back of the book are in a simple three-column format like the study
notes. I believe the text is the same size as the study notes as well.

All in all I like the format of the NLTSB. Its clean and simple. Nothing distracting within the
pages (not even the maps) and each section is delineated to as not to run together. I think the
two improvements that could be made are those mentioned above, i.e., switch to a center-column
reference, and all black lettering.
Final Thoughts

After having used the NLTSB for the last week-and-a-half I can honestly say that this is the best
study Bible I own. Granted, certain of the others were geared toward specific audiences and
serves particular functions, but thats part of what I enjoy so much about this study Bibleits
very well rounded! In this post Ill just give my final thoughts on this superb product with regard
to the NLT as a translation, and the quality of the study notes. See my other posts for my
thoughts of various other features.

Translation

God knows that Im no linguist; my Greek is dismal at best and my Hebrew is worse than that,
but as a native English speaker/reader I can honestly say that theres no English translation of the
Bible that Id rather read than the NLT. Now I stand firm in my conviction that the KJV sounds
the best when read aloudI doubt that anyone can deny the wonderful prose
and magisterial language of the KJVbut for devotional reading the NLT has now become my
main translation, and I must confess that it sounds great when read aloud as well.

Over the last few weeks, before I received the NLTSB even, I have been engaged in reading five
psalms and one proverb per day from the NLT. As Ive mentioned before, this was a devotional
regiment that I placed myself on quite some time ago and it has yielded wonderful results in my
spiritual life. But it is this daily reading that has me convinced that the NLT is a great
translation. Take a psalm (any psalm) and compare it to the alternatives. Lets take for example
Psalm 36:1:

Sinners dont respect God; sin is all they think about. (CEV)

The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God
before his eyes. (KJV)

Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God
before his eyes. (ESV)

An evil man is rebellious to the core. (NET)

The CEV and NET take a more dynamic route in their translation but it comes off as less of an
actual translation than the ESV or KJV which take the more formal route. After pulling out my
BDB Hebrew-English lexicon and consulting a couple of commentaries, I have concluded that
the NLT strikes the right balance and reads better than them all:
 Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at
all. (NLT)

So when the publishers say: The resulting translation is easy to read and understand, while also
accurately communicating the meaning and content of the original biblical texts. (A31), Im
inclined to agree. But this spills over into little things such as the modernizing of things like
currency, weights, and measures. Instead of reading about cubits we read about feet (e.g., 1Sam.
17:4); instead of reading about shekels we read about large silver coins (Mat. 17:27); instead of a
hin its a gallon (e.g., Ezek. 46:7); rather than a hundred denarii its a few thousand dollars (e.g.,
Mat. 18:28); so on and so forth. These are the kinds of things that just make this translation a joy
to read. I was also pleased to learn from my good friend Esteban Vzquez that all of the NLT
translators had written at least a commentary on the books that they translated before this
translation was produced. That speaks volumes!

Notes

If I had to describe the study notes in two words theyd be concise & informative. What I like
so much about the notes is that theyre not theologically driven, although of course they mention
matters of theology (its the Bible after all!). But what I mean is that these notes werent
produced to bolster a certain theological system. I dont come away angry because Calvinism is
being read into a passage that has nothing to do with what Calvinists believe. Theres no major
emphasis on Charismatic beliefs and practices because the notes dont seek to legitimate the
Charismatic experience. These notes for the most part are concerned with informing the reader
how a given passage would have most likely been understood in its original context and how it
fits in with a Christological reading of the text. So for example, the note on Isaiah 7:14 reads:

7:14 virgin (Hebrew almah): Or young woman. This prophecy received its
ultimate fulfillment in the birth of Jesus Christ (Matt 1:18-24). Yet it is likely that
it also had a partial fulfillment in Isaiahs day, either with the birth of godly king
Hezekiah, Ahazs son, or with the birth of one of Isaiahs children. The similar
sequence of verbs in 7:14 and 8:3 (conceive . . . give birth . . . call) and the link
between Immaneuel and Maher-shalal-hash-baz in 8:5-10 suggest that Immanuel
and Maher-shalal-hash-baz were the same person; see note on 8:5-10. The name
Immanuel (which means God is with us) symbolized Gods presence and
protection. God was with Judah during the attack by the alliance of Syria and
Israel (734 BC) in the Assyrian crisis (701 BC), and throughout their prolonged
existence until their fall in 586 BC. The kingdom of Israel fell during the time of
Isaiah (722 BC). The assurance I am with you remained significant even in the
 exilic and postexilic periods (41:10; 43:2, 5). The greatest assurance ultimately
came in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God (Matt 1:23; see also Rev 12:5).
(1119-20)

I think the translation would have been more consistent with the note had it said young
woman but this is a translation that existed prior to the study notes so I cant be too critical on
those terms.

All in all this is a great tool, and thats it. If youre interested in a study Bible then this is the one
to get. If youre interested in a contemporary translation of the Bible in English then look no
further than the NLT. I cant speak highly enough of this Bible, but I do think that they could do
a couple of things to improve it (well, at least the hardcover version of it). Id suggest adding a
ribbon marker in subsequent editions. One thing that annoyed me to no end was having to use a
paper book mark. Id also like to see more than one page for note taking in the back. Its almost
embarrassing to see that lone page back there at the end of a Bible that is so packed with
information that it practically begs the reader to take notes. And as I said in an earlier review, Id
prefer a center column reference set-up. Other than these suggestions I think that the NLTSB is
about as good as a study Bible can get. I recommend it to one and all.